A town-by-town guide to South Australia silo art, the artists behind it, and the communities that made it happen
South Australia silo art has turned plain concrete silos into unexpected showstoppers.
Gone are the days when silos were simply concrete pillars that stored grain. And that’s all thanks to a local arts group in Western Australia who had the idea to take art out of the gallery and slap it somewhere unexpected, like a working grain silo. Soon, there were towns across the country jumping on board. They quickly discovered that a painted silo could stop traffic, start a few conversations, and pull visitors into places they’d usually drive straight past.
Since then, South Australia silo art has spread into towns all over our fabulous state. These projects are the results of community go-getters, progress committees, volunteers and local legends. Years of planning and hours of volunteer time often sit behind a single finished mural.
These artworks also do a hell of a lot more than look good. South Australia’s silo art brings people in – and that foot traffic means a lot. There’s coffees bought at the local cafe, a night stayed at the town’s caravan park and some good old fashioned pub grub devoured at the hotel.
Meanwhile, travellers get to witness world-class art without paying a cent and country towns get a wave of new visitors and some extra income. Everyone wins!
So if you’re keen to hit the road and see some of the best South Australian silo art, here’s where to go.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA SILO ART GUIDE
Bute
What a “Butey”. Bute’s silo art punches well above its weight, earning national recognition and plenty of double takes from visitors passing through.
The mural, painted by Janne Birkner and Scott Nagy, took out Gold for Best Rural Art and Silver for Best Mega Mural at the 2022 Australian Street Art Awards. At its centre is a young woman, surrounded by scenes of country life, from agriculture and stock to native birds, the Hummocks and the town’s old railway station.
Copeville
Blink and you’d miss Copeville, but the silos make sure you don’t. Sitting just off the Ngarkat Highway in the Riverland, this artwork turns a dirt road into a worthwhile detour.
Painted in October 2022 by local artist Jarrod Loxton, the mural gives a clear nod to the farming life that keeps this patch of South Australia ticking.
Coonalpyn
This is where South Australia’s silo art story kicked off. Painted in March 2017, the Coonalpyn silos were the first in the state, and they set the bar high.
Created by Guido van Helten, the mural features local primary school kids and turns towering grain silos into something quietly powerful. Guido had free rein, about 200 cans of paint, and a month on site. The result stopped traffic on the Dukes Highway and turned a drive-through Mallee town into one of the most photographed regional spots in the country. It was proof that art, done right, could change the fortunes of a small town almost overnight.
Cowell
Cowell didn’t pick a random face – it picked a local legend! Painted in 2019 by Austin “NITSUA” Moncrieff, with help from Michael “Schmick” Motteran-Smith, the Eyre Peninsula silos put Lionel Deer front and centre with his beloved camel Diamantina right by his side.
A shearer, a footy lover, a larrikin, and widely known for his generosity, the mural leans into that spirit, with a Port Lincoln Parrot and a nearby farmhouse ruin completing the story. It’s a fitting reminder that the best silo art stories start with the people who live there.
Eudunda
The massive 30-metre-tall, six-silo mural in Eudunda is impossible to miss. Painted by Sam “Smug” Brooks in 2021, the artwork tells a story through the eyes of children, using books, imagination, and culture to bring the town’s past and present together. One child steps out of the world made famous by local author Colin Thiele’s Sun on the Stubble, with scenes of farming life unfolding across the silos. The other draws on Ngadjuri history and knowledge, developed in close collaboration with local Elder Quentin Aegius.
Look closely and you’ll spot layers of meaning woven through the work, from books and stars to local history tucked into the detail.
Farrell Flat
Painted in November 2020 by Jarrod Soden and Matthew Knights from Perplswet Designs, the Farrell Flat silos focus on the town’s railway history, capturing the final train to pass through and marking the end of an era.
According to local folklore, circus trains passed through Farrell Flat, and a young elephant died and was buried nearby. The artists tucked a small elephant into the mural as a quiet nod to that tale, a detail you’ll only notice if you stop and take a close look.
Galga
Beverly and Trevor Heidrich didn’t wait for a committee or government funding – they commissioned artist Jarrod Loxton to paint Galga’s silos as a way of giving back to the town, covering the full cost of the project themselves.
Completed in April 2023, the artwork honours service and sacrifice, paying tribute to local soldiers and nurses. At its centre is WWII serviceman Hurttle Murdoch “Tom” Zilm, alongside figures such as nurse Vivian Bullwinkel, the sole survivor of the 1942 Banka Island massacre. A powerful tribute to service, sacrifice, and family history.
Kapunda
Another striking mural by world-renowned street artist Sam”Smug” Bates, Kapunda’s silo art leans straight into the town’s mining roots. Completed in October 2025, it centres on a copper miner underground, candle on his helmet and ore in hand, pointing back to the moment Kapunda became Australia’s first successful commercial copper mine in the 1840s.
Karoonda
By day, Karoonda’s silo shares a tribute to the town’s farming history, standing tall on the edge of the main street. But when the sun goes down, the silos switch on with a rotating projection of artworks by South Australian artists lighting up the site each night. Painted by Heesco in 2019, Karoonda’s the first place in Australia to offer silo art by day and cinema-style projection art by night. A clever reason to stay in this delightful town a little longer.
Kimba
Kimba, the halfway point across Australia, is home to one of the state’s most striking silo murals. Finished in September 2017 by Cam Scale, the artwork stretches across more than five and a half silos and shows a young girl standing in a wheat field as the sun sets.
The colours shift with the light throughout the day, making it worth seeing more than once if you time it right. Scale spent 26 days on site and used around 200 litres of paint to complete the work. The silos are still fully operational, but there’s a dedicated viewing area and easy roadside access.
Kingscote
What’s more fitting for Kangaroo Island than a giant kangaroo?
Painted in January 2022 by Cam Scale and Andrew Davis, the silos feature the largest painted kangaroo in the world, standing at a whopping 22 metres tall.
Spin around to the other side and you’ll see a black cockatoo set against a Kangaroo Island landscape locals know well.
Lameroo
Lameroo has well and truly outdone itself. Instead of stopping at one mural, the town landed two giant silo artworks by the highly sought-after Sam “Smug” Bates, turning the silos into a major drawcard for this innovative Mallee town.
The first mural, completed in April 2024, focuses on the Mallee farmer, showing the grit and perseverance needed to survive. A windmill features too as a recognition to Lameroo’s history as the “land of the windmill”, where underground water made farming and life possible in tough conditions.
The second silo, finished in April 2025, completes the story. This time the spotlight is on women in agriculture, paying tribute to their growing and essential role in the region’s farming future. Together, the two murals work as a pair, past and present sitting side by side, all tied together by resilience, determination, and a refusal to give up.
Owen
Owen’s silo art tells a tough story. Titled Wheat Bags to Sand Bags and completed in 2021, Owen’s silo art links farming life with the moment war changed everything.
One side shows Owen in 1914 at harvest time with men loading wheat bags onto a dray behind a team of horses. Turn the corner and the scene shifts to Gallipoli. One of those same men is now in a trench, filling sandbags instead of wheat bags.
Finished around ANZAC Day, the artwork is a poignant tribute to local farmers and labourers who swapped paddocks for battlefields. It’s a simple and powerful artwork, created by Cam Scale in collaboration with renowned portrait artist Robert Hannaford.
Paringa
Paringa’s silos have a big story to tell. Painted by Jack Fran, the artwork wraps around all sides with four connected scenes, stitched together by pelicans flying across the walls.
The figures are built from local stories, with river life running through the entire piece. Paddle steamers, houseboats, fishing, irrigation, the Paringa Bridge, and the Murray all feature, layered within the silhouettes of local identities.
This one needs a slow lap with each side revealing another chapter of Paringa’s history and the people shaped by the river.
Tumby Bay
Tumby Bay’s silos have become one of South Australia’s most photographed, and it’s easy to see why! Completed in 2018 by Argentinian artist Martin Ron, the mural captures a classic seaside moment – two boys launching themselves off the Tumby Bay jetty on a hot summer’s day.
The image is based on a photograph taken by local photographer Robert Lang, featuring local lads Eli Carmody and Morris Webb.
Set right at the town entrance, this artwork reflects the laid-back rhythm of life by the sea.
Waikerie
Waikerie went big! Titled Healthy River, Healthy Community, this artwork is painted front and back, with one side facing the land, the other the river. It was completed by two artists, Jimmy Dvate and Garry Duncan, making it one of the few double-sided silo works in the country.
Jimmy’s side focuses on local flora and fauna, with a giant yabby, the endangered Regent Parrot, and other threatened species tied closely to the Murray. On the other side, Garry filled his concrete canvas with sweeping river scene with birds, frogs, fish, turtles, and the Rainmoth, the insect behind Waikerie’s name, meaning “many wings”.
Finished over 16 weeks, this one leans heavily into river life and environmental care. Painted on a non-working silo with room to walk, park, and take it all in, it’s a stop well worth taking.
Wirrabara
Wirrabara’s silo art was painted in 2018 by Sam “Smug” Bates, with a forestry theme chosen by the local community. The mural features a South Australian farmer, axe over his shoulder, set against the industry that has long shaped the town.
Alongside him is the striking red-capped robin, a rare bird native to the area and a detail locals were keen to see included. The face belongs to Dion Lebrun, chosen after a chance meeting with Smug at the Tumby Bay Street Art Festival. A beautiful snapshot of life in the Southern Flinders.
Want more South Aussie goodness like this? Subscribe here for free
